


Concession

by American_Oddysey



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Runaway AU, Wrote this during class, both hendrik and jasper are very bad at it, communication is key, im a good student i swear, jasper being jealous, jasper's kind of a bitch, sylv's just trying to be understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29464869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/American_Oddysey/pseuds/American_Oddysey
Summary: Jasper and Sylvando have a long talk about Hendrik.Done in the context of the Runaway AU created by @smithkiku (twitter)/mintyeggs (tumblr)
Relationships: Graig | Hendrik/Homer | Jasper (Dragon Quest XI), Graig | Hendrik/Sylvia | Sylvando (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Concession

“Fine. You win.”

Jasper’s words tore Norberto- well, Sylvando, now- from his thoughts, the jester flinching somewhat, setting a hand down and making sure Hendrik didn’t wake from his position, leaning against the lithe man as he snored away. The group hadn’t been together for that long. Hendrik was a bit of a stubborn ox in that regard, he was the last to join, even despite Jasper’s own reservations. It also took Hendrik a little while to figure out that, despite whether Eleven wanted to or not, the party was leading him towards his destiny. One that he so desperately tried to avoid.

“... What do you mean?” Sylvando narrowed his eyes at the blonde, trusting this man as far as he could throw him. Despite the strategist not being a threat, the former Lord of Puerto Valor was extremely wary of him. And maybe that was just drawing conclusions that weren’t there. Jasper was a very powerful mage when need be, but specifically only specialized in dark magic. Now that wouldn’t be that much of an issue had said knight also not been extremely knowledgeable on the subject of the Dark Lord. That also wouldn’t have been an issue if Jasper was also  _ nice. _ He wasn’t.

“Look at him.” The blonde’s golden eyes don’t even meet Sylvando’s silver ones. Hell, they couldn’t look at the minstrel at  _ all. _ He gestures to the sleeping general in the Valorian’s lap. “He’s happy. He likes you.”

Sylvando’s glare softened at Jasper’s words. He knew where this was going.

“It’s so obvious to everyone that he’s interested in you. Yggdrasil knows why.” Jasper knew why. Jasper knew that in Hendrik’s eyes, Sylvando was perfect. “And in such a short amount of time, too.” Jasper throws himself onto his back with a clank of his pristine white armor. “I’ve never been able to get him like that.”

That was a bit of an overstatement. He’d been able to get Hendrik to cuddle him as the aforementioned knight was doing right now with Sylvando. Though the general was doing this just because. Whenever he did this with Jasper, it was for comfort reasons, the strategist had to calm him down from a nightmare or a panic attack or something similar. Never a romantic context. 

So it tore Jasper apart to concede to the minstrel like this. Not enough to cry, never enough to cry, but it hurt him emotionally so much that he could feel physical pain.

Sylvando remains silent as the strategist keeps talking.

“He’s not once shown interest in me. Not like that. Not like you,” Jasper stares up at the sky, the stars twinkling. His problems were so insignificant compared to them. There was so much that was going on, and  _ this _ was what was bothering him. “I’ve consigned my life to hating you just for that. But it’s unrealistic to continue to pursue him any further. So I give up. He’s yours.”

“Jasper, honey-”

“Don’t use pet names with me, minstrel.” Jasper spits. He wasn’t quite over his disdain for Norberto yet.

“ _ Jasper, _ ” Sylvando corrected himself, running his delicate fingers through Hendrik’s long hair as the larger man stirred. “I do… appreciate… it, but it’s never been a competition.”

“I’m not daft, I know it isn’t,” Jasper hisses, sitting up again, his sharp gaze piercing through Sylvando, his eyes flicking down to the lavender-haired man in the lithe man’s lap, expression faltering. “... I’ve just been trying for so long, and you have him eating out of your hands after just a few days of travelling with him…”

“There’s more to it than that, dear,” The pet name gets Jasper’s glare to return to the minstrel, though Sylvando doesn’t particularly care. He’d dealt with Hendrik being upset with him, much more within the last few months than any time before, and for much more valid reasons. And Hendrik actually  _ meant _ something to Sylv. Jasper had pretty much only been a pain in the neck to the minstrel besides this. “It’s not like I met Henny yesterday.”

“Feels like it,” Jasper mutters, bringing his knees up to his chest, crossing his arms and resting them on his folded legs. The strategist had known Hendrik since the two of them were children. Not teenagers, not young men, but children, and they were almost inseparable. It wasn’t like that mattered, though, if Hendrik had only seen him platonically this entire time.

Sylvando leans his chin on his palm, resting his elbow on his thigh. “Not to brag, but I like to think that I’m one of the people who has helped him get to where he is today,” the minstrel points out. “Not like it’s… very good, considering.” He sighs, twirling a fringe of his own hair with his finger. “But I helped train him so p- Don Rodrigo wouldn’t just send him on his way back to Heliodor when he was still training…”

“Yeah? Mordegon also ‘helped’ him get to where he is now.” Jasper puts air quotes around the word “helped.” He would have winced at how harsh it was had he not said more hurtful things to other people in the past. “I don’t need to hear it, clown.”

Sylvando’s brow furrowed. Jasper was impossible to reason with, and this was a golden example. “Well, I hope I’m a more positive influence on him over both Mordegon  _ and _ you.” The minstrel lays down, cuddling up to Hendrik. He knew why Jasper was acting like this, though. Some part of him couldn’t help but feel bad. But with the way that the strategist went around such things, it only made Sylvando want to wrong the blonde more, no matter how dangerous he was.

Jasper lays back down as well. That was probably the end of the conversation, and of course it went badly. As much as he could fake being a social butterfly during the banquets the two generals had attended together, when it came to prolonged social interactions and relationships, he was just about as bad, if not worse, than Hendrik was. Only when it mattered, Jasper was abhorrent at it.

The two men lay in silence before Sylvando speaks up again, causing the strategist to flinch and wonder if the minstrel had mind reading capabilities. “Maybe if you made your interests known to him, then maybe you would have had more luck.”

Jasper didn’t answer, golden eyes scanning the sky above him, settling on Erdwin’s lantern, hanging high in the sky. 

“Because from what I’ve seen, you’ve never really openly flirted with him.”

Silence again.

“Have you talked to Hendrik about this?” Sylvando asks gently. “Must I wake him? Communication is important.”

“Do  _ not _ wake him.” Jasper snaps. Dread curled in his chest at the prospect. It was already horrifying to him enough to be egged on to talk to Hendrik about this. Jasper was far from a coward, at least he liked to think so, but the idea of talking to Hendrik about this, especially with Sylvando chaperoning the blonde through the talk. And of course Hendrik would never want anything to do with Jasper after that. That was the only outcome in the strategist’s mind.

“Well,” Sylvando trails off slightly. “I do want you to talk to him sometime soon. I don’t need to be there for it, of course. I know you’re not quite comfortable with my presence,  _ especially _ when it comes to Hendrik.”

Jasper grunts. Sylvando was right, Jasper still didn’t like the minstrel even after opening up to him like this. He hadn’t even done anything like this before with Hendrik. Not, at least, until after Dundrasil. But not since then.

“Who knows, maybe he’ll choose you over me?” The jester laughs, letting his eyes close. “Maybe he’ll choose both of us? I don’t know what goes on in the big lug’s head.”

“Not a whole lot.” Jasper murmurs, though finds himself relaxing a little at Sylv’s encouraging words, running his fingers over the seams of his gloves. He was still nervous, of course, but even despite what Jasper had said, how indignant he’d been, Sylvando still supported him, even a little.

Jasper could see why Hendrik would choose Sylvando over him.


End file.
